Winter Fictionfest: A Mini-Conference ($32.00/$27.00 for members)
Saturday, February 18th, 1:00 p.m. – 4:30 p.m. at Loganberry Books, 13015 Larchmere, Shaker Hts.
Whether you’re new to weaving stories or just published your newest book, this half-day conference will give you the inspiration to take your writing to the next level. Explore the craft of fiction with skilled teachers, respond to writing exercises, and connect with other writers at our Winter Fictionfest.
1 – 1:45 pm: Mary Doria Russell, award-winning author of Doc, The Sparrow and other novels, in conversation with author Susan Petrone
2 – 4:30 pm: Workshops w/area writers*
Workshop A: Beyond Motive, Means and Opportunity: How to Plot Your Mystery w/ Casey Daniels & Shelley Costa
Workshop B: Turning History into Fiction w/D.M. Pulley
Workshop C: Science Fiction: Not Just for Kids Anymore! w/Geoffrey Landis & Mary Turzillo
*Participants will be able to choose to attend 2 of 3 workshops when they register.
New: Between The Lines w/Kazim Ali, author of Uncle Sharif’s Life In Music
Wednesday, February 15th, 7:00 p.m., at Happy Dog at the Euclid Tavern, 11625 Euclid Ave (Free)
Join Literary Cleveland for an evening with award-winning poet, novelist, translator, and professor Kazim Ali. The author will read from his forthcoming short story collection “Uncle Sharif’s Life In Music”, discuss other upcoming works, and respond to questions from the audience.
Read Ali’s complete bio and publication list here.
Upcoming January Workshops
Shameless Self-Promotion w/Ken Schneck ($15.00/$12.00 for members)
Wednesday, January 25th, 7:00 p.m. – 9:00 p.m., Gordon Square Arcade, 6516 Detroit Ave.
If a writer pens something in the woods and no one is around to read it, does it make a sound? No. No it does not. Marketing your work is essential to building an audience. Whether you want to become a social media personality, describe yourself on your website, or simply answer the question “What do you do?” you need to know how to talk about it. Get inspired to share your work as we talk about the basics of self-marketing from social media to websites to that ever-important elevator pitch. We’ll look at examples of successful author marketing and developing our own marketing ideas.
Speculative Fiction: Divorcing the Tropes ($18.00/$15.00 for members)
Saturday, January 28th, 10:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m., Loganberry Books, 13015 Larchmere Blvd.
Speculative fiction is not just dragons and vampires and spaceships. In this workshop we will discuss how to write stories that broaden the definition of the genre and approach more closely our personal visions of science fiction, fantasy, magic realism, and dystopia. We’ll follow up with some exercises as a way to open up the fictional world to a sense of surprise and invention.
Charles Oberndorf is a graduate of the Clarion Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers’ Workshop. His three science fiction novels were published by Bantam Spectra, and his short fiction has appeared in Full Spectrum, Asimov’s Science Fiction, and The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction. His novelette, “Another Life,” was reprinted in Years Best SF #15. He’s the Chi Waggoner Chair in Middle School Writing at University School and has moderated the Public Fiction Writing Workshop at Cleveland State University.
Mary Grimm has had two books published, Left to Themselves (novel) and Stealing Time (story collection) – both by Random House. She teaches fiction writing at Case Western Reserve University.
February Workshops
Writing Your Family History w/Afi Scruggs, Amy Breau and Mary Helen Petrus (Free)
Saturday, February 4th, 10:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. at Lake Erie Ink, 2843 Washington Blvd., Cleveland Hts.
Learn how to research, write, and preserve your family legacy. This panel discussion will feature presentations by writers who have gained a better understanding of their family history through memoir, interviews, and genealogical research, followed by Q&A. Whether you are looking for motivation to start or instructors to help you craft the work you’ve already begun, this event will help you. Presented as part of “Crossing Borders: Immigrant Narratives in Cleveland,” an event featuring Cleveland writers on the topic of immigration.
Make the Leap into Writing Persona Poems w/Mimi Plevin-Foust ($30.00/$25.00 for members)
Thursday, February 16th and 23rd, 7:00 p.m. – 9:00 p.m., Loganberry Books, 13015 Larchmere Blvd., Shaker Hts.
Do you want to write poems that help you stand out from the pack, tell stories, build your imagination, and create social change? Writing persona poems – poems in another’s voice – can do all that and more. In this fun, interactive workshop, we’ll discover and practice this underused but highly effective poetic strategy. You’ll also learn how to perform these poems aloud, with the chance to share them at a Lit Cleveland event soon after. Come with notebook or paper, a pen you love, and your imagination. Beginners to experienced poets are all welcome.
Digging Up the Bodies: Writing About True Crimes in History w/Jane Turzillo ($30.00/$25.00 for members)
Wednesday, February 22nd and March 1st, 7:00 p.m. – 9:00 p.m., St. Edward’s Library, 13500 Detroit Ave.
If you want to write about true crimes in history, this is the class for you! We’ll talk about how to spot an interesting subject and where to uncover the evidence, photographs and more. Then we’ll talk about how to turn what you’ve found into a compelling read. We’ll go from first draft to finished story. If time permits we’ll look at some markets. Bring ideas or works in progress.
